


Bargaining

by Talinor



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst, Established Relationship, Langst, M/M, Post-Season 2
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 18:07:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,220
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10541757
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Talinor/pseuds/Talinor
Summary: "So, he's in some kind of... magical coma right now?"Yes."Can it be cured, or lifted, or whatever?" He prayed the answer to that question wasn't what he expected it to be.Yes.He let out a sigh of relief.But only by a master of old Altean magics.





	

**Author's Note:**

> hoo boi  
> this was mainly a vent during a really shitty depressive episode and it doesn't 100% follow post-season 2 but I liked it so here it is  
> enjoy!

It wasn't meant to be this way.

The fight that day had been routine- saving the day on yet another alien planet (called Xsana this time) and driving the Galra out. The Robeast they sent to try and take Team Voltron out didn't even make them break a sweat. It was a pretty great change of pace, getting an easy victory for once. 

For the first time in a long while, Lance actually felt... energized after a battle. It settled like a jittery nervousness, like he chugged an entire can of some kind of energy drink. He was pretty sure he had goosebumps dotting his skin. It was normal during a battle, but it never usually lasted this long. By the end of a battle, exhaustion and/or contentment overpowered any energy he had left. Adrenaline hit him hard and fast, and took whatever it wanted in return.

But that didn't happen this time.

This time, Lance felt like he was indestructible, on top of the entire universe. Like he could march right into the Galra's main base and take Zarkon out himself. Hell, he felt like he could take out the entire Galra Empire in that moment.

 _God,_ it was a hell of a feeling.

The Lions one by one landed on Xsana's dusty gray surface, claws sinking slightly into the seemingly lifeless ground. The only sign that anything lived in the barren desert-like landscape was the shifting outlines of Xsana's small inhabitants scurrying away from the metal. They moved flawlessly underneath the sand's surface, as fluid as water snakes jetting through the ocean. It was nearly impossible to figure out what their shapes really were, but that didn't matter. Blue could sense their collective feelings and transmitted pieces into his mind. Wariness and fear traced the outer edges, but the majority of happiness only boosted his own mood.

Which was probably why, when Blue opened her maw to let him free, he made a beeline for the first person he could get to. The person he wanted to wrap his arms around first.

Keith.

He'd barely stepped off Red's catwalk when giddy arms pulled him closer, enthusiastic lips pressed insistently against his own. Lance got as close to him as their bodies would allow, one hand with fingers tangled in unkempt raven hair and the other resting on the opposite hip. They're both sweaty and smell pretty awful, but at the moment Lance couldn't find it in himself to care. Keith apparently couldn't either, cupping his boyfriend's face in covered hands to pull them closer together.

In that moment, everything else melted away. For the moment, there was no Galra Empire. No teammates to roll their eyes at the 'gross lovebirds'. Their surroundings didn't matter. It didn't matter that they were lightyears from Earth, from home. The only thing that mattered to him was Keith. For the moment, Keith was his home, his heart, his everything.

He loved this greasy, stubborn, snarky, wonderful boy more than he loved most things. Family was technically ahead, of course, but Keith was part of the little pseudo-family they'd slowly built over the past couple months. So Keith managed to defy the rules and be both first and second place in Lance's heart.

His heart was pumping in his ears and his blood rushed like a river. Keith tasted like food goo mixed with the slight salty tang of sweat. It was a strange combination, but oddly enough, it _worked._ In the moment, it was slightly intoxicating.

For those mere little moments, everything was as perfect as they could be.

The thing about moments, though- they end. Time is a thief, and steals them away before you're ready to let go. It can give you the world and take it away in one cruel fell swoop.

That was the best way he could describe what happened.

Keith finally pulled away from the kiss, resting his sweaty forehead against Lance's. The bangs sticking to their own foreheads intermingled. Keith's tickled the tip of Lance's nose. He let out a breathy laugh, the air puffing onto Keith's cheeks. Dark eyes met gazes together like the sea and the evening sky reaching for each other. Just close enough to satisfy them both.

"You did a great job out there," Keith was the first to speak up. A hand moved from where it previously rested to reach for his own. "They didn't stand a chance."

Lance couldn't help but crack a smile at the praise. He felt the slightest bit of heat creep up onto his skin, completely new from the sizzling sun hanging overhead. "Well, duh," he said. "It's _me_ we're talking about here." He lightly squeezed Keith's hand, tracing a gentle thumb over his knuckles. "But I didn't do it alone. I had you with me." A soft smile snuck it's way onto Keith's face. "We're a good team, remember? This was bound to be a piece of cake."

"Yeah, you're right." Keith confessed. "You don't have to be such a sap about it, though."

"Sorry babe," he said. "You signed up for the whole Lance package. Like it or not, that includes the sappiness." He raised a brow. "You cool with that, Samurai?"

He already knew the answer.

Keith gave a mock shrug. "I guess I can live with it." He looked up at Lance with a rare mischievous glint in his eyes that made his chest flutter. "As long as you-"

He never got to finish that sentence.

"Guys," a voice he recognized as Hunk's pierced the air. _"Look out!"_

He barely got to see the purplish-pink ball of energy headed right for him before he felt his body forcibly whirled around. His boots scraped against Red's catwalk, and it took him a moment too long to realize what Keith had just done. Suddenly, Lance wasn't the one shielding his boyfriend from the beam. _He_ was the one being protected.

Time, in its cruelty, gave him just another moment to meet Keith's eyes.

Then the beam blasted square into the Red Paladin's back, and Lance felt his heart stop. He watched electric energy of the same color flash in his eyes and circle around the pupil. He watched his boyfriend's body suddenly seize up and stiffen until the energy faded out of sight. His eyes became glassy and distant as gravity claimed his body, pulling the limp object wearing Keith's face into Lance's arms.

For a moment, everything was silent. Everything around him melted away. 

All he could focus on was Keith's face, stuck in the shock of impact. Ghost breaths drifted through his open mouth. They were soft and short, barely even moving his chest. His eyes were wide and foggy, looking out but not really seeing anything.

Shock intermingled with whiplash at the sudden turn. In a few seconds, Keith was snatched from him. The happiness and adrenaline pumping through his system was ripped away even quicker at the sight. All he could do was stare down at the limp body in his arms. Even when Shiro stepped through the universe's black veil to gingerly pry Keith out of his arms and carry him into Black with a morose expression, he felt like he couldn't move. He could barely breathe.

He could feel Hunk's and Pidge's hand on his shoulder. In his peripheral, he could see Hunk's concerned expression. Saw his mouth move in a familiar question.

_Are you okay, man?_

Of course not. How could he be?

_I'm sure he'll be fine._

Usually, he'd buy into that. Nobody needed him to brood around and constantly sulk. Even if he didn't feel like those words held truth, he'd give a halfhearted smile and nod. The world always needed more optimism.

But he just... couldn't do it.

The emptiness surrounded him, poking and prodding at his skin with cold needle-like fingers. The silence filled him inside and out. It was poisonous smoke, thick and condensed around him. Silencing his surroundings. Stirring up grief and uncertainty swimming in his chest. Choking him.

He never liked the silence. It was too empty, too open. Like a gaping wound.

He grew pretty damn good at filling it up, as a favor to himself and everyone around him. He always had _something_ to say, no matter how stupid or exaggeratedly confident. An actor on the stage of life who was pretty damn good at improv when some other schmuck forgot their lines.

This time, though?

...He didn't really know what to say.

How was that possible? Being the joker in serious situations was supposed to be his thing, a little bit of light in their dark and unforgiving lives. He was supposed to bring tired smiles to his teammates in the hardest of times.

If he couldn't bring himself to do _that,_ then what good was he to the team?

The empty silence was his only answer.

It took a moment for everything to fade back to focus. The blurry veil over his vision was slowly lifted, allowing him clear access to Xsana's stillness. It took him a moment to realize he was alone on the edge of Red's catwalk. Familiar footsteps in the sand indicated that the others had gone back to their own Lions. By now, they were probably out of the planet's atmosphere. It was just him, Blue, and Red. He glanced up at Keith's Lion.

A thrumming purr carrying a burst of encouragement like a war drum's rhythm during the heat of battle resonated throughout his body. From the soles of his feet to the top of his head, he felt the secondhand feeling wash over him. He felt her impermanent presence enter his mind. It radiated assurance and confidence like a blazing sun- warming him up a little bit. It was nice to have those feelings available to him right now, considering he didn't really have either of them. But he could also sense her deep protective worry at the core. That was a feeling he could definitely understand.

 _He is a strong cub,_ her voice reminded him of a rallying cry, starkly contrasting Blue's calm seasong. It filled the silence well enough for the time being. _As are you. You're special to him, more than most things are. And now I know you feel the same way. So I know the both of you_ will _pull through this._

He almost believed her.

Still, he managed a smile and took a few steps up her catwalk. He settled a hand on her metal. It was thrumming with life, like a revving engine or feeling someone's pulse. He patted it softly.

"I'll try," he said. "Thanks, girl."

She was pleased by that. He relished in the way that warm feeling seeped into him. 

_You're welcome._

With that, he felt her presence leave his mind. He clung desperately to the residue of the emotions she wrought. He didn't want the empty silence again.

He quickly walked off Red's catwalk, hearing it start to retract with a mechanical whirr the second he stepped off. He headed the few feet over to his own Lion. Blue's own catwalk extended out for him and her presence poured into him the moment he stepped into her ancient walls.

Unlike Red's adrenaline rush aura, Blue's was calmer in peaceful times. In battle, she was a hurricane dedicated to kicking Galra ass. But right now was tense, yet somehow calm at the same time. It reminded him of the still, glassy surface of an undisturbed lake. Comfort settled on his weary shoulders. It felt like his mother's embrace, Keith's laughter at a bad joke, and the team's connected energy after a hard-earned victory in Voltron. 

Despite his unflinching worry, he could feel the tight knot of stress loosen. Not significantly, but it helped him breathe a bit easier.

_She's right, you know._

"I know." He settled onto the pilot's chair with a sigh, leaning back into the leather-like surface. With trembling hands, he took his helmet off and held it in one hand. The other raked fingers through short brown hair. He could feel the cockpit rumble all around him as Blue started up. She knew the whole 'beat Galra, save a planet, report back to the Castle for debriefing' spiel; she didn't need him to pilot her for the last step. The formula had changed a little bit this time, though.

When he closed his eyes, all he could see was Keith's face. The clarity of his eyes just before impact. Their emptiness after. Those moments he mulled over, thinking up new ways he could've prevented this all from happening. If he'd been smarter, or faster, or more willing to do _something_ other than stand stock still and watch his boyfriend sacrifice himself like a reckless idiot.

If he had, none of this would've happened.

But it _did_ happen. He could hope and wish 'til the end of time, but it wouldn't change what already happened. What he unknowingly _let_ happen.

 _Stop thinking like that,_ Blue chastised. Her 'voice' was stern and steady, as sure and constant as waves against the shore. But underneath was something he was a bit surprised to detect- a deep worry hidden deep underneath, like she knew something she didn't want to disclose. Blue was usually like an open book with him. Why was she trying to hide something now? What did she know? _It isn't unusual to freeze up in a situation like that. And I know it's scary now, but I promise it won't be permanent. You just need to keep holding on and stop dwelling on the what's and the why's._

She had a point.

He opened his eyes and looked at Blue's dashboard quizzically. Something kept bothering him, and no matter how hard he tried to rationalize it away, he kept settling on the fact that Blue was trying to hide something from him. He didn't really know how to feel about that.

"Blue," he finally spoke up. "What's wrong?"

 _Hm?_ She apparently didn't know that he knew. _What do you mean?_

"I mean," he looked out to see a dazzling array of stars, the outline of the Castle getting closer and closer. He could see Red just a few feet in front of them. "Do you... _know_ what happened to Keith back there? You kinda seem like you do." A quick conflicting mix of surprise and guilt gave him his answer. "Is he gonna be okay?"

 _I..._ He could practically feel her reaching for the right words to say. Then resignation. _...The spell cast upon him is a dangerous one. Dark, ancient Altean magic. One of the Druids must've set a trap on Xsana's base to trigger it._

"What does it do?"

 _It..._ Her words sounded pained. Murky pieces of memories played in his mind's eye- blurred figures circled around a hunched figure in a long dark red and white-trimmed robe. The figure's hands, glowing with a light purple aura, were placed against the chestplate of an Altean soldier lying on a table wearing armor almost identical to what Allura's father wore. Except for the fact that this soldier's armor was lined with the same shade of blue Lance wore.

Oh.

 _It... disconnects the mind from the body._ Now her words were reluctant, like she didn't really want to worry him further. Too late. _The subject becomes unaware of everything around them, and the body can only breathe._

The knot tightened. "So, he's in some kind of... magical coma right now?"

_Yes._

"Can it be cured, or lifted, or whatever?" He prayed the answer to that question wasn't what he expected it to be.

 _Yes._ He let out a sigh of relief. _But only by a master of old Altean magics._

Lance didn't have much time to process what that meant in that moment. Blue sat down in her hangar, hunkered down to let him out. He stood up out of his pilot chair and headed out the familiar hallways of both his Lion and the Castle to the navigation chamber where they usually met for mission debriefing. He let his mind wander as his body moved. Mulled over Blue's words over and over again like his mind was a broken record.

The others, of course, were already there by the time he reached his destination. 

Have you ever walked into a room where people were _just_ talking about you? The wide-eyed, surprised stares? The sympathetic expressions that quickly replaced them? The uncomfortable silence as each of them try to come up with something to say to make it all less awkward?

Yeah, that was pretty much what Lance walked into.

His attention went in and out throughout the meeting. He tried to focus, he really did. But it was a lot harder whenever he glanced at the empty chair just a few feet in front of his own. The red light seemed to be taunting him.

He did hear bits and pieces- mainly stuff that Blue already told him. How he was in his room, considering how the healing pods couldn't do anything for him. They could only heal physical injuries, not mental. There was nothing they could really do but wait and hope Keith could pull himself through somehow. It was a very rare case, Coran mentioned, but it was possible. Keith was certainly strong-willed enough.

Lance wanted desperately to believe it. He wanted to believe Keith could claw out of the darkness and wake up. He wanted to believe that everything would go to normal, with Keith and without snuck looks of pity in his direction from everyone in the room.

And yet, he just... couldn't. Blue's words kept repeating in his head.

A hand on his shoulder snapped him out of his thoughtful trance. He looked up to see Shiro, looking down at him with the same sympathetic look Lance had caught him making 5 minutes ago. It was understandable, with the circumstances. But he didn't want sympathy right now.

He wanted Keith back.

"Lance," he said. "You've been pretty quiet. Do you wanna talk about it?"

Lance shook his head. "Not really," he leaned back against the metal chair. "'M just... not in the mood to talk right now."

"Okay," Shiro nodded and gave him a small understanding smile. "But you know you can talk to any of us about anything, right? We're your team, and we're here for you no matter what."

Lance nodded. Of course he knew that.

That didn't mean he was _going to,_ though.

Shiro moved his hand off Lance's shoulder and left the room. Leaving him to the silence.

_It... disconnects the mind from the body._

Lance quickly stood up and left the room. He let the sounds of his boots fill the silence a bit. It was just a temporary solution to his smaller problem, but he was grateful for it nonetheless.

_The subject becomes unaware of everything else around them,_

The door to Keith's bedroom door slid open for him without a sound. It mostly looked the same as it had this morning- Lance's robe in the corner where he'd thrown it in the pre-battle changing rush. Keith's clothes lay on a silvery table touching the wall opposing the bed.

The only differences were the red helmet carefully placed on top of the neat pile and the armored body lying almost completely still on the bed. Keith's chest barely moved, his face still stuck in the same expression. Lance moved to the side of the bed to see those beautiful eyes still without light.

_and the body can only breathe._

Lance dropped to his knees with a shaky breath. His vision blurred. Trembling hands grasped at a limp lifeless one like it was his only lifeline. Like he was trying to pull Keith out of whatever void he was stuck in by himself.

_It can only be cured by a master of the old Altean magics._

Right, like there was an abundance of _those_ hanging around and willing to help. He only knew about three Alteans right now- he doubted Allura or Coran were magic, and even if they were, they apparently weren't masters of it. And the third option he had was--

_Wait a minute._

He stilled. A tear escaped the confines of his eye and raced down his cheek to freedom.

The third option... could actually work. It was risky as hell, but it was more possible than anything else he could think of. Keith and the others would probably hate him if they found out, but that would just mean Keith would actually be alive and conscious enough to hate him.

In most scenarios, that thought wouldn't make an idea more tempting. But goddamn, it certainly did this time.

It was a stupid plan. He knew that right from the get-go, and he wasn't gonna try to fool himself into thinking otherwise. But what else could he really do? Sit around and wait day-to-day for Keith to wake up? That could take months, maybe even years, if it ever happened at all.

Zarkon wouldn't wait for them. Hell, once he knew, he'd probably draw them out with an attack on another planet to take them all out. Then it'd all be over.

This plan was all he had right now.

If it meant the others would have to find a new pilot for Blue, then so be it. Replacing him would be a hell of a lot easier than replacing Keith. Red wouldn't trust anyone else as easily, and he knew Blue would understand. She probably wouldn't like it, but she'd understand.

Maybe Blue's new pilot would be more useful to the team.

With that thought in mind and Keith's limp hand clutched in his own, he came up with a plan. For a few hours, Keith's soft breaths were the only sounds to fill the still silence. He memorized the simple rhythm- in, out, in, out- with a hope that it would continue. That each breath wasn't the last.

He only left Keith's side once. Just to go to his own room next door and change out of his armor, and then he was right back in Keith's room. His casual clothes were a lot more comfortable.

 _Keep going, baby._ He thought as he gave the hand a light squeeze. _Stay alive._

_Please._

Finally, he heard the lights in the hallway shut off one by one. Curfew was beginning. The others would probably be heading to bed by now. If Keith was conscious, he'd probably head out to the training deck by now to kill a couple hours. He half expected that to happen now; for Keith to realize his training time was coming. Any second now, he'd wake up and swing his legs over the side of the bed, ready to beat up some droids. That everything actually would go back to normal.

He waited.

Hoped.

Even _prayed._

Nothing. Just the same rhythm.

In, out, in, out.

Lance sighed in resignation. Guess he was really doing this.

He stood up from where he'd been kneeling, ignoring the pins and needles in his legs at the movement. He looked down at Keith. Studied how his messy black hair fanned out on his pillow, how his forehead still had a barely visible dull sheen of sweat. Remembered how his eyes shone with his rare laughter, how they darkened in serious situations. And now they were just... empty.

Lance let go of his hand. Instead, he moved both arms underneath Keith's body. One slid under his legs, long fingers resting on the opposite lower outer thigh. The other hand rested on his back. With a moment of hesitation, he lifted Keith up from the bed. He was a _lot_ heavier unconscious than conscious, but Lance managed not to drop him.

It was a bit harder actually walking, and he nearly dropped Keith once while trying to open the door, but he was fast enough to readjust whenever he needed to. The door slid open once more to reveal a dark and empty hallway. He let out a sigh of relief. Good. He really didn't need to run into anyone right now.

Lance moved as carefully as he could, trying to be as quiet as humanly possible. His heart was pounding in his ears. If anyone else could hear it, he'd wake up the entire Castle with the first step out Keith's room.

It didn't take long to get to the pod bay. He didn't really make it a habit to come there without a mission, but sometimes Pidge accidentally left their computer there or the pods needed cleaning. Each one easily stood out in the dim lighting, lined up and ready to go. He headed up to the closest one.

The black cover dissolved when he pressed the button, revealing the familiar driver and passenger seat up front. He walked around to the other side and maneuvered Keith's body to sit on the leather-like passenger seat.

 _This is a terrible idea,_ he couldn't help but remind himself.

Lance moved back to the driver's side.

 _I know._ He stepped up into the pod and sat down. The cover solidified in its rightful place as the pod powered up. The light blue screen flickered to life in front of him, waiting for either a destination or an action.

Lance put in the coordinates for the the main fleet of the Galra Empire. It'd been in the same place the last two times they'd been there, so he could only hope that was still the case. That they hadn't moved to a separate part of space to lick their wounds or something. 

With one last moment to glance at Keith, he pressed the booster activation button.

The pod took off like a bullet, barely giving him time to brace himself. Lance found himself pressed more and more into the driver's seat as the pod shot out the hangar doors into space. Stars whizzed past them like little brief lines of light. He could barely move, his back pressed into the leather and hands gripping the seat for dear life. He squeezed his eyes shut and prayed it would end soon.

A sudden stop nearly shot him out of his seat. He quickly looked beside him to check if Keith had. His body was still in the chair, just tilted toward Lance and illuminated by a strangely familiar magenta light.

It took Lance a second to realize just _where_ that light was coming from.

"Unidentified craft," a deep voice crackled over the pod's radio system. "Identify yourself and your purpose."

His heart managed to pick up the pace a bit more. There was no turning back now.

"Lance, the Blue Paladin of Voltron." He said as calmly as he could manage. His voice still wavered a bit, but it was barely noticeable. "I'm here to talk to Haggar."

The radio silence lasted for a minute or so. It felt like a minute too long. It gave him time to really think about how crazy this plan was. The Galra might not even bother taking the chance to find out why he was there an open fire. The pod wasn't strong enough to wrench it's way out of the beam, so it'd be pretty easy just to kill them. Two Paladins, one laser.

Or they'd just take the two prisoner. It wasn't like either of them could really fight back right now. Maybe stick one or both of them in the ring or run tests on them or maybe--

Holy frog, Lance, _slow down._ He had to stay calm.

For now, he could only hope they were interested enough to do neither of those things. That Haggar would be willing to take him up on his offer.

"For what reason?" The witch's voice sounded this time. Not a bad sign, in this situation.

"I'm here to bargain." He said. "I'm unarmed, unarmored, and none of the others know I'm here right now. That's all I'm willing to say over comms."

He could hear her hum in consideration. She... didn't sound disinterested at the idea. Probably cautious about it, but not turned away from it so far. Finally, after a few moments, she spoke up again. "Very well."

The beam moved, slowly directing the pod to a different destination. Lance watched as they were moved closer and closer to the Galra base. A wide hangar door slid to the side for them, revealing a barely-visible white barrier protecting lines of Galra fighter pods. Some looked brand new. Others, he noted with a bit of pride, looked pretty roughed up.

They passed through the barrier like it was nothing, and the pod dropped a few inches to the floor with a loud crash. Two Galra drones raced to the source immediately, tense and rifles at the ready. They stepped closer and pressed the pod's button. The cover dissolved into the air, revealing the hidden passengers inside. Lance put his hands in the air in a gesture of surrender.

A door about 10 feet or so in front of him opened to reveal the hooded figure behind it. The hood was up, obstructing most of Haggar's face, but he could still see her glowing yellow eyes. The drones looked in her direction and lowered their guns. She stepped a few feet towards them.

"Stand down," She instructed the drones. "Resume patrol protocol." They both gave her a curt nod in sync, and walked side by side back to where they were. Now her attention was only focused on him.

He saw Haggar's eyes narrow, then glance over to Keith. He could see an eyebrow quirk up. Then one of her hands rose up, the billowing fabric of her robes moving down her arm to reveal a dark purple skintight sleeve. Slivers of it were ripped open, showing little bits of the skin underneath.

His throat tightened as her hand started to glow with a faint magic aura. The same aura enveloped Keith, slowly lifting him up. Lance's heart threatened to burst it's way out of his chest at the sight. A sudden rush of panic crashed into him full-force.

But Haggar didn't move. Didn't pull Keith closer, just held him aloft a couple inches above the chair. She looked over to Lance after a few still moments.

"Well?" She asked. Impatience tinged her otherwise neutral tone. "Are you waiting for an _invitation,_ Paladin?"

Lance opened his mouth to speak, and quickly shut it. With his luck, he'd probably say something stupid accidentally and end up getting himself and/or Keith killed. It probably wouldn't take much to cross that line.

So he quickly nodded and got out of the pod. Only then did Keith move, pulled over to Haggar slowly as she motioned for him to follow. The body hovered next to Lance as he followed behind. He tried not to focus on his surroundings, on the patrolling guards that stared at them as they passed, or on the seemingly countless hallways they walked through.

His focus was on Keith.

He looked weightless in the air; like he was floating around in zero G for the hell of it. His back was slightly arched up, pointing his stomach up at the ceiling. It made him look like an invisible hand was clutched around his waist to carry him along. Like he was a child's toy.

A toy for a _really_ messed-up child.

Finally, they ended up at their destination- a small dimly-lit circular room with nothing but a person-sized table in the middle. It was completely clean, but everything about it screamed _bad-guy sacrifice room_ to him. Lance swallowed as the door shut behind them.

"So," Haggar was the first to speak. She directed Keith's body to lay on his back onto the table. "You want me to revive him, correct?"

Lance nodded, then realized she couldn't see it. "Yeah," he said. "That's pretty much it."

"Tell me, Blue Paladin," she turned her piercing gaze onto him. Her expression was nearly unreadable. "Why would I _ever_ do that for you? Why should I _'bargain'_ with one of the Empire's worst enemies?"

Lance couldn't help but halfheartedly smile. He was expecting a question like that. "'Cause," he took a step to her side. He met her eyes without hesitation. "I'm willing to do anything for him."

Her eyebrows raised in mild interest. _"'Anything'?"_

"Anything," he confirmed. Then he added something on with a quick glance at Keith. "That doesn't involve hurting him."

She still looked interested. "And what about the other Paladins?"

A cold stone of guilt lodged into his throat. He ignored it. "They're fair game," he said. The stone sank down into his stomach.

Haggar's eyes narrowed, studying his face for a few moments. Probably looking for a sign that this was a trap or a trick of some kind. Lance made sure there wasn't any. He meant every word, if not a bit reluctant to admit it.

Apparently she saw that. Her expression relaxed, and she gave him a small smile that didn't calm him down a bit. "Very well." Those words did help. If he didn't know better, he'd have let out a relieved sigh.

The Druid stepped up to the table, and Lance watched as her weathered hands started to glow once more. He could hear her muttering a language he didn't hope to understand under her breath. The heartbeat-pulsing energy was a different color this time. It took him a moment to realize it was the same as the bolt of energy that caused all of this in the first place. Keith's breaths quickened slightly once they were placed flat on his chestplate, the energy quickly spreading over his body. His body stiffened, his fists clenched as it crawled its way into his eyes. For a few moments, Keith's entire being lit up the room with radiated magical energy that made Lance's hair stand on end.

And then those moments were over. The chanting stopped. The light faded, moving back to Haggar's hands. It formed into a little ball of energy cupped by the Druid's experienced care. She lifted it up to her mouth carefully, and gently blew it out like the flame of a candle. Keith relaxed, his eyes fluttering shut. His breathing was normal.

He looked... peaceful.

The energy lifted his unconscious body up once again. Haggar turned to Lance and directed Keith over to his arms. He felt... lighter this time. Easier to carry.

"I kept my end of the bargain," she said, stepping to his side. "And now it's your turn, Paladin. Once he is back at the Altean Castle, report back here _immediately."_ He nodded in understanding and tried taking a step towards the door before he felt a hand grab hold of his jacket. It pulled him back towards her, yellow eyes flashing dangerously. "And if you _do not,"_ she warned, looking down at Keith for a moment before coming back. _"he_ will be the one who suffers for it." Her expression was deathly serious. "Understand?"

Lance cast his eyes down and nodded.

"I want a verbal answer, Lance."

He let out a shuddering breath. He looked back up at Haggar and mustered up all the courage he could.

"Yes, ma'am."

-

It was all a hazy blur.

One minute he was on Xsana, and the moment he felt the blast hit him square in the back, everything was black. The emptiness of the void both surrounded him and became him for an amount of time he had no way of knowing. It was like a dreamless sleep, drifting in neutral limbo without really realizing it.

And then he dreamed.

He dreamed he was the core of a supernova, tingling energy surrounding his skin. Heat rocked his skin and made him unable to process anything else existed.

It quickly ended. 

Or, at least, it _felt_ quick to him. His time in the light felt a lot shorter than his time in the darkness.

But he didn't go back to the darkness when it ended. Everything was still dark, but it felt... warm. Weightless and grounded at the same time.

Finally, the weightlessness ended. He felt his back press against a familiar softness, his own scent surrounding him accented by another's. A scent that made him feel safe. A scent that made him feel like he was _home._

 _I'm sorry, mi corazón._ He felt a familiar press against his forehead. Soft skin caressed his face. _Goodbye._

The sensations wrapped around his consciousness like a soft, newly-dried blanket. The warmth of it blinded him to the words full of sorrow, protected him from knowing their true meaning.

And then the sensations slipped away. He wanted desperately to follow after them, just to feel them for one more second, but he couldn't move. His limbs were too heavy to even consider the idea.

So he drifted back into the half-darkness.

Keith's eyes shot open. Memories rushed into his mind, snapping him awake. He sat up in his bed with a racing heart and quickened breaths. He knew that familiar voice. He knew what those words meant. Before he could stop it, the answer leapt out his throat into the open air. Like a call for help.

_"Lance!"_

But there was no answer.

Only silence.

**Author's Note:**

> comments are always appreciated!  
> come yell at me on tumblr: squishy--squish


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